Teratogenic Effect of Chlorpyrifos and Glyphosate on Pregnant Rats: Biochemical and Morphological Evaluations

The impact of pesticides on the environment and human health is a serious matter of concern. The present study focusses on the teratogenic effect of pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and glyphosate (GLY) on the pregnant rats and their offspring during gestation and lactation period. The female rats were exposed to these pesticides (CPF and GLY) throughout their pregnancy at a dose of 10 mg/kg. The biochemical markers and lipid profile of pesticides exposed pregnant rats were analyzed. The maternal and reproductive outcome was also assessed followed by rat pups morphometric analysis. A significant alteration in the blood glucose level, triglycerides, total cholesterol, SGOT, and SGPT levels were observed in pesticide exposed groups. The body weight, crown-rump length, eye length, eye width, hind limb, and forelimb size of rat neonates were significantly found to be lower in the pesticide exposed group when compared with the control animals. Morphological abnormalities like microcephaly, microtia, micromelia, dysmorphogenesis, distorted axis abdominal, and brain hemorrhages were observed in pesticide exposed rat neonates. Skeletal observations of the CPF exposed group show disruptive malformations, wavy ribs, and curved spinal cord. Intraventricular and spinal cord hemorrhages were observed in 21 days old rat pups in GLY treated group. Findings of the present study indicate that exposure to pesticides during the gestation period causes the morphological abnormalities in rat fetuses by altering the mechanisms involved in growth and development. Thus, on the basis of observed results, we concluded the teratogenic effects of CPF and GLY in rats.